What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Teaching

I'm still a newish teacher (going into my fourth year overall, third in the same district). But I've learned a lot since I started, some of which will never be in a traditional teacher training program. Here's my big takeaways:

No curriculum is perfect. Do what the kids need, not what the book or computer screen says.
My first district used a very overpriced, very scripted curriculum. Frankly, it wasn't very good. And teaching from a script wasn't fun. But I did it, because I didn't know any better and because I was criticized early on for deviating. Students, and groups of students, are all different. It's more important to teach what they need than what any piece of paper or screen states they "should" learn. Don't do rhythms with kids who don't keep a steady beat yet. It won't work. Read the room, have an actual human to human conversation with students, and teach what they need. Sometimes, a dance party is more important than the planned lesson. Or a folk dance lesson becomes a lesson on respect. That's okay. Adapting is important. Obviously, teach content, not fluff, but teach the students in front of you. They'll get where they need to be, even if it takes a little more time.

Learn from everyone.
Yes, it's easy to get caught in a teacher echo chamber. It feels better to only talk to brand-new teachers who are just as scared and worn down and clueless as you might feel. But those who have been there before can help you grow. Most teachers aren't scary people if you talk to them. That being said, avoid toxicity like the plague because it spreads. Ain't nobody got time for Negative Nancys. I've learned classroom management tricks from lunch monitors, movement strategies from PE teachers, organizing strategies from classroom teachers, and many more. Don't just stay in your lane, learn and borrow from those around you.

Understand you'll be misunderstood
Especially as a music teacher, there will be misunderstandings. Schedules will get mixed up. Observers will focus on something that has nothing to do with music or teaching. You'll be asked to teach kids you only see on Tuesday a song by Monday... when it's Friday. Things will work out. Communicate clearly, firmly, but respectfully. There's no sense in yelling about things when simply educating adults will work better. Explain that you cannot possibly teach kindergarten and fifth grade back-to-back without passing time because the room setup for fifth grade isn't safe for younger students, or why chorus with 100 kids on Friday afternoon might be a struggle. Explain what the curriculum indicates students should be learning, and why you taught it as you did. Let the teacher who asks for a song performance ready that it's too last minute and you'd be glad to offer support next time with more advance notice. Most people in schools really do have students' best interests at heart, even if it sometimes creates inconvenience. Explaining your reasoning while setting boundaries helps to maintain and build respectful relationships. It's okay to vent (to people outside the situation) about frustrations with this too! It is hard being misunderstood, or being seen as an entertainer.

Have fun
There's so much joy to be found in making music with students. Not all days will be fun, not all classes will be fun, but there are bright moments even in the exhausting, frustrating times. It's okay to laugh at a kid's joke that makes no sense, or freeze dance when you finish a lesson two minutes early. Don't be the teacher who doesn't smile until Christmas, it's not healthy for students or adults.

The middle is a good place to be
There are few things in education that require an extreme view. Though many topics are polarizing in education (and especially music education) circles, there's no reason to create a false binary where there isn't one. It's not pop music vs. classical music. Or Kodaly vs. Orff vs. Gordon. Use what works for you, no matter where it came from. Different teachers, schools, and students need different things. It's better to be yourself than to unthinkingly follow any method, philosophy, or idea.

It does get easier, except when it doesn't
Being a first year teacher is hard, exhausting, frustrating, and taxing in a way that no program can truly prepare you for. But that's not to say everything after is easy. There will always be things about teaching, or anything else, that are hard. But the hard things get easier, you develop new skills, and you'll develop a compass of what's normal or acceptable for you and what isn't. It's absolutely okay to change things or move to a new position if it's what will work for you. Some positions aren't right for some people. It's okay to leave. Ask for help on the things that are still hard.

No (lesson, teacher, district, school, fill-in-the-blank) is perfect
Even the teachers with the Pinterest perfect classrooms are human beings with flaws. Even that "dream position" has its downsides. Don't focus on finding the perfect lesson, poster, school, or boss. Absolutely find yourself a workable situation and a healthy work environment, but don't chase after perfection that doesn't exist. I love my school and district, but I know that it has flaws, as does every other district I'm familiar with. Find things to be grateful about in your current situation rather than always lusting after something better.

Be kind
This one is last, but also most important. Being kind to yourself, students, and co-workers will pay dividends in so many ways. There is no use in teachers bashing themselves, or blaming their students. Complaining about a colleague behind their back won't change anything. It is okay and perfectly normal to have tough teaching days. It doesn't mean you're a bad teacher. Kids had bad days too. It doesn't mean they're bad kids or are out to get you. Kindness is one of the most important things we can teach and model for our students, especially those who may not be treated with kindness outside of school. And being kind to ourselves is necessary! You can't take care of students if you don't take care of yourself.

Lesson Share: The Playlist Project

This post was inspired by the #popmused chat on Twitter, with a question asking about popular music lesson plans. Check out the hashtag here - there's lots of great resources!

I was desperate for lessons without much teacher talk last spring, my voice was shot and allergies were making me struggle, but not be sick enough to call out. My "playlist project" was born when I found a bunch of old mix "tapes" (well, CDs) I had made when I was younger... it was so cool to find songs that went together and tweak the list until it was perfect, then burn it to a CD. Tapes became CDs, and now almost all playlists are virtual, so my students were able to put together a playlist however they wanted.

My students have different levels of background knowledge, so I spent quite a bit of time talking about playlists - what they are, how to put them together, differences between playlists and albums, etc. - and showing a few examples. Then I set my students free to create their own. I was intentionally vague about how the songs on the playlist should be related, but left it up to them how the songs were related. Some great examples students came up with included songs with loud drums (which included rock, hip-hop, and classical music), songs with Spanish lyrics, songs learned on piano, and songs about broken hearts. I used this worksheet to structure students' creating. They used iPads to look up songs as needed, since many of them weren't sure about exact titles or spelling of artist names. Because my school is fairly conservative about language and I wanted my students to have as much freedom as I could give them, the guideline I gave was that the titles and artist names had to be clean, but I wouldn't go searching for inappropriate lyrics.

This project served multiple purposes. For one, it got my students thinking deeply about the music they hear outside of school. It gave me insight into how they think about music, and what music they're exposed to. I was surprised at the number of songs from the 70s and 80s on their playlists, but glad to know that they appreciated and knew some of my favorites. I pulled from their playlists when I could - whether it was for beat-keeping practice or a little movement exploration (always vetting the songs first, of course). I did this late in the year last year, but I'm hoping to do it earlier in the year this year since it helped me build a relationship with my students and understand their musical world.

Feel free to make a copy of the worksheet and use if you'd like!

That Aristotle Quote

If you've been around education for any length of time, you've seen it:

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all" - Aristotle

Whether it's really by Aristotle or not (my guess is no), there's some truth behind what sounds like another edu-platitude. People can easily memorize or "learn" without actually being changed. It's possible to know all the facts and feel no empathy or compassion. And sometimes, it's possible to force "learning" in the shallow sense onto students while actively hurting their hearts, while damaging their love of education and learning and knowledge.

I'm gonna be honest: this summer has been brutal. Summer classes are always annoying, something about doing school work while not teaching just feels wrong. They're a fact of the masters degree program I chose, so it's my own fault. But my current class isn't just miserable because it's August. It's killing my love of learning, of music, of being a student. I'd do almost anything not to have this class poison my mind. But it's a requirement, so I'm trudging through, day by day and week by week. In 8 days it will be over, and I'll be forever changed in a way that no student should ever be changed by a class.

It hurts my heart to be in a class where only music by white males is valued. It hurts my heart to know my university's requirements privilege this class steeped in oppressive practices over much more important, meaningful material that would help me be my best for my students. It hurts my heart to know that the hours I spent on homework will be reduced to dismissive feedback and a numerical grade that seems entirely arbitrary.

Those who teach can have such an influence. They can do so much good or so much harm. They can use positional authority to support those who are marginalized, or to further hurt those already struggling. They can respond to a struggling student with compassion, or with reactionary anger. It hurts to be on the receiving side of harmful educational practices. It hurts to spend hours on pointless assignments. It hurts to get negative feedback delivered in a blunt, abrasive way. It hurts to know I'm expected to suffer silently, to suck it up and struggle through without making waves. It hurts to cry in frustration over a course that cost me over $3,500 but provides little support or encouragement.

My heart is hurting. I'm exhausted. I'm not yet in a state of mind to give 100% for my students. Fortunately I have some downtime to recover from this traumatic "educational" experience before I'm back in the classroom. I'll carry memories of how much harm this class has done me, and pledge never to be a teacher who has that impact on students.